Shilpi Begum, a leader of the Juba Mohila League, has been sent to jail in connection with an explosives case filed with Tejgaon Police Station, despite having given birth via Cesarean section only a month and a half ago.

Shilpi, whose surgical wounds have yet to fully heal, was seen crying as she headed to prison, clutching her infant daughter and wearing a post-operative abdominal belt.

On Tuesday (April 21), Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Muhammad Zunaid passed the order after rejecting her bail petition.

Shilpi was produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court in Dhaka around 2:00 PM. The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Sheikh Nazrul Islam, sought her detention in jail, stating that sufficient evidence had been found regarding her involvement in the case.

According to the police, Shilpi was arrested based on a tip-off on Monday evening (April 20) from her residence on Railway Colony Station Road. The investigation alleges she played an active role in suppressing the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

Defense lawyer Farzana Yasmin Rakhi pleaded for bail on humanitarian grounds, emphasizing that Shilpi has a 46-day-old nursing infant and is still recovering from major surgery. However, the court denied the request.

At 3:12 PM, as she was being led out of the courtroom on the fourth floor, Shilpi broke down in tears. In a poignant moment on a bench in the court corridor, the mother was seen breastfeeding her child one last time before being taken to the lock-up.

"I am being forced to go to jail with my baby solely for political reasons," Shilpi lamented while being escorted by police.

The case stems from an incident involving Md. Tahmid Mubin Ratul, a second-year student at Dhaka University and an active participant in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Ratul was reportedly shot during a protest in the Chankharpul area on July 16, 2024.

The complaint alleges that on July 23, acting under Shilpi’s orders, a group of 120-130 armed individuals attacked Ratul’s residence. The attackers allegedly detonated bombs in front of the house, assaulted Ratul’s father, vandalized furniture, and looted valuables worth approximately 8 lakh BDT.

The formal case regarding this incident was filed with Tejgaon Police Station on January 25 of last year.